Fares up as transport costs run off the rails

COMMUTERS will pay up to $560 more for public transport under planned fare increases over the next two years.

While the LNP has halved a scheduled 15 per cent fare hike from Monday, an analysis by The Courier-Mail has found the hit to hip-pockets will still amount to hundreds of dollars over the next two years as the price of taking the bus or train soars by three times the inflation rate.

Despite the hefty fare increases, Queensland taxpayers are still paying to prop up public transport. For every $2 paid by commuters, taxpayers kick in another $6.60 to keep the services running.

At the same time, patronage has been falling over the past four years.

Transport Minister Scott Emerson conceded fares were too high but rejected calls for a new fare review.

Over the next two years, commuters who live closest to the CBD will pay $120 to $150 to travel across one or two "zones".

Weekday commuters travelling from Ipswich or Beenleigh to the CBD will pay an extra $290 for their fares.

The hikes of 7.5 per cent a year for two years will raise the annual cost of fares to $3300 by 2014 for a commuter from Beenleigh or Ipswich.

Commuting from Palmwoods on the Sunshine Coast or Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast will cost an extra $560 over the next two years.

The increase will take the annual cost of using public transport for a commuter who gets on at Varsity Lakes from $5965 this year to $6415 in 2014.

Robert DowSource:Quest Newspapers

Rail Back on Track lobby group head Robert Dow said feedback from commuters was that public transport was already too expensive.

"It is like a torturer saying instead of breaking both legs I am only going to break one," Mr Dow said of the reduced fare increase.

"We have one of the world's most expensive fare systems and it is little wonder the public is starting to say, 'Hold on, it is time for a fare review'."

A comparison of major cities around the world reveals the fare increase has done little to address Brisbane's standing as one of the most expensive public transport systems ahead of New York, Paris and Tokyo.

At the same time, taxpayers are pouring millions of dollars into subsidising public transport in the state's southeast, to the tune of $1.1 billion a year.

The subsidies saw commuters pay $2 for each public transport trip last financial year compared to the true cost of $8.60 a trip.

It came after just $360 million in revenue from fares flowed in during 2011-12, to pay public transport running costs of $1.53 billion.

The Bligh Government had proposed annual fare increases of 15 per cent in a bid to bridge the gap after years of tumbling patronage.

Passenger trips have dropped from 181.9 million trips in 2008-2009 to 181.8 million in 2009-2010; 178.6 million trips in 2010-2011 and 178.3 million trips last financial year.

In the new government, Mr Emerson is focusing on boosting revenue by luring more commuters with lower than scheduled fare rises.

The LNP is yet to announce a fare path for beyond ext year, but Mr Emerson conceded fares were "high".

"I would like to do more, but at the moment I can't because of the fiscal situation I inherited," he said.

"I can see us trying to drive it down, but I have to do that in what I can afford to do."

He rejected calls for a full fare review, saying the LNP had already reviewed fares before the election, opting to reduce planned fare hikes and introduce its "nine-and-free" public transport initiative at a combined cost of $200 million.

The initiative, which allows commuters to travel free for the rest of the week once they have made nine trips, has cost $12.5 million in its first six months.

The Aaskow family not happy about increased train fares from next weekSource:The Courier-Mail

PRICE HIKES DRIVE COMMUTERS INTO CARS

FAMILIES are set to be the hardest hit by the latest public transport fare hikes with some already spending thousands of dollars a year to commute.

With a 7.5 per cent increase in fares to be implemented on Monday, some families, such as the Aaskows, are reconsidering their options when it comes to public transport.

Susan Aaskow said while she only used public transport a couple times a month, her husband and two daughters used it daily, racking up more than $3000 in fares a year.

For the Seventeen Mile Rocks family, this coming price hike is only going to make things harder.

"The rest of my family catch trains twice a day, nearly every day," she said.

"I would say in one year we would spend around $3000. For my husband alone, it's around $8.60 a day and if it's going up, he'll change it."

Mrs Aaskow's husband Dale works in the city and has chosen to catch the train for the past three years.

While he has his own carpark, Mrs Aaskow said petrol was always more expensive than using the trains, but now it's a different story.

While Mr Aaskow has an alternative, their daughters Hayley, 15, and Amanda, 19, are stuck with the rising fares.

"Amanda has to go to UQ for uni and Hayley has to go to TAFE this year as well as school, so she'll be catching even more public transport," Mrs Aaskow said.

"I couldn't drive her every day. It would be impossible for me with my work.

"Obviously, we would prefer public transport than being stuck in peak hour traffic, but if the tickets are this ridiculously priced, we're just not going to do it."

University students have also been hard hit by the news, with 21-year-old Ashley Keys spending around $1000 a year on public transport.

The Ashgrove resident has to travel to work and university in the city, as well as work experience at Toowong and believes she spends around $20 a week to get from place to place.

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